ON THE BOX SEAT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 171, 22 July 1942, Page 4

ON THE BOX SEAT

It was surprising to read the letter of "Heyabout Turn," and apparently he considers the soldier is on a good wicket — quite contrary to my perspective. I stressed before that the carpenter was not being singled out but merely used in an illustrative point. The job referred to required very little efficiency on the part of either carpenter or soldier. It was simply a matter of nailing up prepared wooden sides and calling thena army huts. The only difference between them was in the pay envelopes. When "Heyabout Turn" mentions 30 hours as a soldier's working week he is getting out of his depth. Of recent weeks the boys have been averaging 50 and more hours, including some heart-breaking route marches with full pack up, and if your correspondent thinks they are having the time of their lives he is sadly mistaken. Touching on the subject of pay, a paltry £3 10/ barely keeps one's head above water on to-day's living costs, and as far as the Soldiers' Assistance is concerned, one needs to be badly in debt before receiving much help there. Incidentally, why should a soldier's wife have to go out to work to supplement her army allowance— and what if there is a young family? Who will look after them? A lot more practical proof is required to satisfy the writer who is on the box seat, soldier or essential industryworker, and until some better equality of sacrifice is made, it is obvious the resentment of the former will continue. F. HOOKWAY.